Reddy, who is the fourth Metropolitan Sessions Judge, cited "personal reasons" in his resignation letter sent to the Chief Justice of the Hyderabad High Court, said informed sources.

His move surprised legal and political circles as it came a few hours after he acquitted Swamy Aseemanand and four others in the sensational case for lack of evidence.

There was no information if his decision was linked to the verdict or some other issue.

Ravinder Reddy, who is President of the Telangana Judges Association, along with some other judges were suspended by the High Court in 2016 for protesting over the allocation of judges between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and the demand for setting up a separate high court for Telangana.

Nine people were killed and 58 others were injured when a blast ripped through the historic mosque during Friday prayers on May 18, 2007.